Rivals
by readingfan07
Summary: "If there was someone I hated more than anything in this world, it would be Tobias Eaton. Or Four, as everyone calls him. And yes, Four as in the number. Stupid, huh?" Beatrice Prior
1. Chapter 1

TRIS:

If there was someone I hated more than anything in this world, it would be Tobias Eaton. Or 'Four', as everyone calls him.

And yes, 'Four' as in the number. Stupid, huh? Of course only he and every other empty minded person in Middle School thought that that was a cool name and best suited him because it was the number on his football jersey.

I mean, _I_ play basketball and _my_ jersey number is six. Does anyone ever call me, Six? No. Why? Because to do so would be stupid. Period. End of story.

And it isn't only his name that annoys me. His face is annoying to look at; the fact that we're in the same class annoys me; his stupid grin and dark blue eyes annoys me; basically everything about him annoys me. And it all started in elementary school when he pushed me off of the school's swing set.

Now we're 12 and it's still going.

The swing set incident was simply just a start. An opening, you could call it. That very evening though, I decided to be the bigger person and move on from that. But did Tobias think the same? No!

The next day he just _had_ to snap all my new coloured pencils in half; the very same coloured pencils that my dad had bought over the weekend as a gift for my birthday.

However, did it stop at that?

Ha! As if!

From then on, he'd find the smallest of ways to torture me whether it be 'accidentally' tripping me up or 'accidentally' hitting my books out of my hands. He even went so far as to 'accidentally' eating my lunch one day. He claimed that he confused our two lunch boxes together which was an entirely stupid excuse.

My lunch box was clear. His was the newest design out with a superman based theme and a place to put your water bottle. How the idiot had confused our two lunch boxes together was beyond me.

His treatment towards me kept on going though, with me doing absolutely nothing about it. I could take it. I was sure of it! But it wasn't until we hit Middle School that an unknown rivalry had started up between us.

It had begun when we got our test results for an unexpected Math quiz the day before. He had been confident that he did well and he did.

19 out of 20.

That was good. Great. Amazing even, considering that the quiz hadn't been planned.

When _my_ test paper was handed back, I flipped it over to see that I had received full marks.

Without even realising it, Four Eaton was standing right behind me, peeking at my results. What made his presence known to me was the sound of scrunching paper.

It was his test.

They were in his hands which were now balled up into tight fists. He didn't even say a word after that. He just left without as much as a single glance. I didn't give much thought into it, just dismissing it with a shrug of the shoulders until months later when we received our scores for the next test we had done just a few days ago.

This time I scored 94%. I was content with that until a piece of paper landed on my desk.

In big, red marking, the percentage read 95%. Looking up, I was immediately met with arrogant, dark blue eyes. And for some reason, I let his boastful demeanour get to me.

Determined, I made it a goal to score higher than him in the next assessment.

Throughout the year, we competed with each other on who could place higher than other. Our way of finding out were secretive and unknown to each other.

Sometimes, he'd slip his results in my bag for me to see when I got home. Other times, I'd tape or glue mine to his lunch box.

Soon after, it wasn't just about academics anymore. Anything became a competition.

We competed for the title of class captain which he had obviously won. That was understandable. All the girls loved him and all the boys wished to be him. That was clearly an easy win for him. _I'd_ even admit to that but that didn't give me any reason _not_ to try.

Also in gym, by some miracle, we were always on opposite teams. The determination to do better than the other academically exceeded towards sports as well.

When his team would win, he'd walk past me with a massive grin and an ego as big as his head.

When my team would win, I'd make sure to scoff as we passed by each other.

At one stage, we had been partnered up together on a science project. Immediately, we both protested but the teacher set us straight and told us to get on to it.

And so we did.

It was a painful two weeks.

The first week was absolutely terrible. Pride and ego got in the way of our project and the rivalry between us led to nothing but disaster. Figuring out that it was best to set aside the competitiveness _just_ for this project, we ended up doing alright as a partnership.

I learnt a few things about him and him, me. However, once those two weeks were up, the competition started up again. Anything we learnt about each other went through one ear and out the other.

The glares returned. The ego and pride grew bigger than ever. The slight bullying (him) occurred once more and the childish comebacks to that bullying (me) flew right back at him.

When the second semester of the second year of Middle School approached, I was more than prepared to show Eaton that I could beat him at anything he challenged me to.

That was until my father decided to move us across to Colorado.

-VI-

 _5 years later…_

The time seems to be going at an awfully slow pace. Seated opposite me is my father, who looks extremely nervous as he fidgets with his hands.

I heaved a quiet breath as I silently watched him.

It's been 15 whole minutes since he's called me into the living room and not once has he spoken a word.

"Dad" I then let out, a sigh escaping also. He finally looks up to gaze at me, his expression expectant. I almost laughed at this. _Almost_. "Are you going to tell me the big news or not?"

He visibly gulps before playing with his fingers once more.

"Well, um..." he begins, rubbing his palms against each other. "You know Jeanine right?" I instantly nod.

On one of his business trips to Chicago he met an old friend by the name of Jeanine and they somehow reconnected. While he was there, they went out for "coffee" a few times and by the time he returned, I realised a slight change in my father's behaviour.

Happier. He seemed happier.

It took weeks for me to get out of him the reason as to why he was "glowing" so much and finally he came out with it.

I wasn't mad. Or sad even. It was just unexpected, that's all. After my Mom had died when I was young, I didn't think my dad would ever find love again. I was proven wrong.

Once a week, the pair would Skype each other and sometimes I'd join them. After a few days, I discovered that Jeanine had a daughter of her own. Nita is her name.

She seemed cool. After getting to know each other, we began to get along. I genuinely liked them and my dad knew about this.

Zoning back to present time, I raise an eyebrow impatiently. Finally, he spits the truth out.

"You know how, a few weeks back I told you I had business in Chicago to attend to?" I nod once more. "Well" he continues, "I, obviously, visited Jeanine while staying there and we discussed a few things and I think that we should move back."

I instantly freeze. Nothing but silence stretches between us but my father is quick to fill in the gap.

"I just… I feel like this thing between Jeanine and I is something worth investing our time and efforts in. I feel like it's… going to go somewhere, if you understand where I'm going with this." He whispers that last bit quietly.

And all I could do is nod. I think I know what's he's talking about.

I'm pretty sure that what he's talking about has something to do with a white gown, a circle band and is an event titled with the caption "the happiest moment of your life".

Yup, I'm quite sure that that is it.

After a while longer, I slowly flashed him a warm smile.

"I understand. And I trust your judgement."

My response had surprised him. He jolted up in seat before finally gaping at me, openly.

"Really?" he asks, the disbelief in his tone noticeable. Nodding vigorously, I shoot him a reassuring smile.

"Really" I answer. "I like them both. I think it's good that you're… loving again."

He gazes at me with soft eyes before standing up with outstretched arms. Walking into them, he wraps me into a big hug, his chin resting on my head.

"Thank you, Beatrice" he whispers. "Your mother, however, will always be my first love. Remember that."

I grinned at this.

"Of course" I reply. "But let's not turn this into a Cinderella moment, okay?" I ask, ruining the moment.

But he didn't seem to mind as he laughs and releases me, ruffling my hair while he was it.

"So…" he then begins, smiling brightly, "Pizza's or Burgers?"

I couldn't help but return the gesture.


	2. Chapter 2

_A month later..._

We landed in Chicago safely and were immediately greeted by Jeanine and Nita who welcomed us with open arms.

It stunned me, however, to see them… physically. They were both extremely gorgeous. I instantly felt plain compared to them but it didn't bother me. Seeing my Dad and Jeanine together made me smile, hugely. They looked so in love. It was actually quite a pure sight to see.

Suddenly, Nita leans down to whisper in my ear.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" she asks, gazing at them as well. Looking over at her, I nodded once in agreement.

"They look good together" I whisper back to her. She instantly smiles.

"Ever been in love?" I shook my head at this, my eyes widening slightly. Anyone who knows me, knows that love wasn't really my area of proficiency.

"No" I tell her truthfully, chuckling a little. "You?"

"I have a boyfriend" she answers, nodding in response to my question. I grinned at this.

"Oooh, Nita huh?" I mock while elbowing her softly. She laughs at this before comfortably wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

I smiled at the gesture. Being an only child, I never knew what it was like to have an older sibling. But having Nita here as an "almost" sister felt so good that it gave my smile an extra brightness to it.

Already, things were looking good.

"You do know what that means then, right?" she then asks me, as we follow our parents towards the exit.

"What?" I inquire, curiously.

"We need to find you a boyfriend, duh!" she exclaims, eagerly. "And then we can double date!"

She seemed to be getting so excited over it and yet it was merely just an idea. I couldn't help but laugh at her eagerness.

"Date? Eugh!" I let out, jokingly. "That sounds painful."

Almost right away, she shoots me a playful glare.

"Oh c'mon!" she protests. "You know, there are _plenty_ of hot guys at Divergent Academy. I can introduce you to a few, if you want" she says, winking at me.

I'm about to decline her offer, when a certain 'name' catches my attention.

"Did you say 'Divergent Academy'?" I ask her. She nods vigorously. "Is that the school you're attending?" She nods once more. "Isn't that some fancy, prestigious high school?"

"Yeah, of course! It's the top school in Chicago" she states. A groan immediately leaves my mouth.

"Ugh, I'm sorry Nita but it seems like we'll be attending different schools for our final year."

"Wait, why?" she questions, pouting dramatically. I grin at this.

"Because I hate schools like that. Most of the kids who go there are stuck up brats" I tell her before quickly adding, "No offence."

"None taken" she dismisses with a wave of a hand, almost as if she was agreeing with me. "But must you really do this? Attend a different school and all?" she asks once more. I nod.

"Yup. I made an oath when I was kid to always attend public schools. Besides, it makes me happy knowing that I, who attends an 'average' school, can get better grades than someone who attends the 'top school of Chicago' and meets with a private tutor every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and on the weekends. It gets all those arrogant idiots to shut their mouths from boasting every hour, every minute and every second of the day."

Turning to face her after my long and probably dramatic explanation, I find her staring at me as if I was an alien. And then a fit of giggles leave her mouth.

"What?" I inquire, innocently.

"The way you said 'arrogant idiots'. There was so much… disgust in your voice" she states, laughing still.

"I did, did I?" I ask, although I could probably guess that I did say it like that. She nods again.

"Seems like you have a knack for winning against those 'arrogant idiots', huh?" she jokes.

I scoff as I thought back to a certain blue eyed boy from Middle School.

"Ha! You have no idea."

-VI-

It's been two weeks since we arrived in Chicago and everything has been going great. Jeanine and Nita were as nice as ever. Having a sibling simply made my day, _everyday_.

We were complete opposites yet we got along so well.

She'd teach me all there is to know about the … girly side of things like makeup and shopping etc. And I'd teach her about the boyish/childish side like sport, anime and whatnot.

It was fun.

However, I stayed true to my word and ended up attending Faction High School which was quite a fair distance away from Divergent Academy but still close enough.

On the third week though, as I sat at my desk, textbooks laid in front of me, Nita literally skips through the door of my bedroom, squealing in excitement.

I immediately laughed when I watched her attempt to contain it.

"Okay, what is it?" I ask in amusement as she bounced on my bed.

"Well tonight" she slowly starts, "my boyfriend and I will be going out on a date. _But before that_ , I want you to meet him!" she exclaims.

"Me?" I ask her. She nods hurriedly.

"Yes! Of course, you! Why _wouldn't_ I introduce you to him? You're my sister!"

I couldn't fight the huge smile off of my face as she said that.

"It's only right that you meet him, dur!" she then adds on. Laughing a little, I nodded in agreement.

"Okay then. I'll meet him." Squealing once more, she quickly rushes over and hugs me tightly.

"OH MY GOSH, YES!" she screams. "I'm so excited to have you meet him! I hope you like him! Let's go downstairs and wait for him to come."

Tugging at my arm, I snickered as she did so. It's times like these that I feel like I'm older than her, not the other way around.

Before I could let her drag me downstairs though, something in my brain clicks.

"Wait" I let out and she immediately stops pulling at my arm.

"What?" she asks.

"Don't you have to get ready for your date?" I inquire. She grins.

"I already am, silly!"

It's only when she says that that I look down to her outfit.

She was wearing a white, laced, long sleeve top with a black peter pan collar, a black skater skirt with see-through stockings and a big burgundy scarf. On her feet were combat boots, her makeup, though minimal, was done well and her hair was up in the most perfect messy bun I've ever seen in my entire life.

"You look so good" I compliment honestly, still checking out her clothes. "Cute outfit too." I was admiring how she was able to put her clothes together so nicely.

Every time I even _tried_ to look decent, I always ended up looking like a druggie who just woke up from a thousand years of sleep.

Twirling around for me to get a better view, she blushes a little.

"Why, thank you!" she gushes, innocence laced in her tone.

Smiling widely, I'm about to say something in return when someone knocks on the door. Nita gasps right away at this before mouthing 'It's him! He's here!'

Nodding, I'm about to follow her lead when she points to her hair and then towards the direction of the bathroom. After which she then mouths, 'Can you please open the door for me?'

I begin to protest but it dies down on my tongue when she races off. I sigh at this before heading downstairs, courageously.

Taking a deep breath in, I placed my hand on the door knob and instantly calmed myself.

 _Okay Tris. Don't mess this up. You are going to meet Nita's - I mean, your sister's - boyfriend. Be on your best behaviour and don't scare the guy to death, okay?_

Promising to do what my inner self was telling me to do, I opened the door with a bright and welcoming smile.

However, the minute my blue/grey eyes met with sleeping, dark blue coloured ones, the realisation sharply and swiftly settles in without a minute to spare and my once warm smile, falters and falls into a frown. Just moments afterwards, I see him receiving the very same message from his brain also.

The only difference is: I was much quicker to react than he was.

Without even thinking, my mouth speaks out without a filter.

"Oh. Hell. No!" I let out, emphasising every word. Before he could get a single sentence or even a _word_ in, the door slams in his face.

I huffed slightly. _I'll just tell Nita that the wind was to blame for that._


	3. Chapter 3

I walked straight into the kitchen after the 'wind' had blown the door closed shut and grabbed myself a bottle of water.

As I did, Nita comes down from the stairs and looks around in confusion.

"Uh... Tris?" she asks me. I raised a false clueless brow in response. "Where's Four?" she questions.

 _Dammit. So it 'is' him._

"Who's that?" I swiftly lie.

"My boyfriend" she states.

"Oh" I let out, dragging the word out in fake understanding. "Well, he's outside. He didn't want to come in."

Her eyebrows furrow and then humming slightly, she makes her way for the door. Taking a sip of my water, it isn't long until she appears again into the kitchen.

This time her expression is in disbelief and then softly, she begins to laugh.

"Did you- Did you just close the door on my boyfriend?" she asks in amusement. Choking on my water, I cleared my throat before shooting her an innocent look.

"What? No! Now why in the world would I do that?" I inquire.

She however reads through the act easily and shakes her head, still giggling.

As for myself though, I still could not seem to piece everything together. Well, I _could_. I just refused to accept it. Because... to think that that _idiot_ is my sister's boyfriend... I mean, _how_? Nita's sweet. Four's a dickhead. It doesn't make any sense. Forget the whole 'opposites attract' thingymajig. _This_ was pure nonsense.

"Nita" I then say as she faces me, questioningly. "Is that idiot really your boyfriend?"

Before she could even speak up, another voice cuts in, uninvited. And although the voice is deeper than I remember, I was able to still recognise it. Especially when my blood instantly begins to boil at the sound.

"Slamming the door in my face?" he begins as he steps into the kitchen. "Surprisingly, I didn't expect anything less from a loser. Glad to know I still effect you in some way, Prior. But then again, why wouldn't I? I _am_ your superior, after all."

His tone was serious yet there was underlying mockery to it that I didn't like. It sounded almost teasingly, playful. Yet I knew it wasn't.

Or at least, _hoped_ it wasn't.

"Superior?" I then question, slight amusement and harshness laced in my voice. Stepping around the island, my feet made its way over to him slowly. He continues to stand there firmly and unwavering though, his gaze never leaving mine. "You _wish_ you were superior, Eaton" I whisper lethally, inching closer and closer to him. "But you never will be. Forever will you remain below me."

There's a quiet pause before he, too, begins to whisper in my face, equally as intimidating as I had attempted to sound. As he did, I could feel his breath on my face and it infuriated me.

"Is that so?" he questions, quietly. "I guess that explains why I'm towering over you then" he sardonically says.

"Height has nothing to do with this" I snap back at him. The corner of his lips immediately turns upwards into a crooked smirk.

"You know I quite like this" he states, his face close. "Looking down on you and all? It's satisfying" he breathes.

My fists involuntarily clench as I growl.

"Why, you arrogant, good-for-nothing bastar-" Before I could go on though, someone clears their throat, reminding us of her presence.

It's only when I remember that Nita was here also, that I realise that I was just inches away from the guy in front of me. Instinctively, I took a step back and frowned. I hadn't even finished my sentence and hell, was I hoping to do so!

"Okey dokey then" Nita begins awkwardly. "I _was_ going to introduce you two to each other but for some reason, I have this hunch that you both already know each other."

In reply, I hummed while Four scoffed. She lets out a tired breath at both our responses.

"Oh gosh" she murmurs. "And yet here I thought that it was going to be great introducing my boyfriend to my sister."

The news immediately made Four's head snap up.

"Sister?" he questions, curiously. Nita nods in reply.

"Our parents are together."

His mouth forms a small 'o' in understanding and then he scoffs once more.

"You're going to need luck to survive with that" he mutters to his girlfriend. Instantly, my jaw sets as I glare at him, Nita doing the same, just not as intense as I.

"Yeah well," I begin, " _she's_ going to need more than luck to survive being in a relationship with your arrogant ass" I fire back, lamely. But he takes the bait, nonetheless.

"Better arrogant than ugly" he informs, coolly.

"Speaking of ugly, Shrek called. He wants his face back." He opens his mouth but I step in once more. "And while you're at it, you might as well return Patrick's brain, too."

His right brown instantly shoots up.

"Who the heck is Patrick?" I roll my eyes.

"From Spongebob."

He scoffs.

"That's stupid."

"Hey, something you're good at!" I reply in fake cheerfulness. He scowls at me.

"Whatever. Let's go Nita" he then says, turning his back to me.

"Wait" she quickly cuts in. "I wanted to say something but your guys bickering, kept getting in the way." Feeling guilty for that, I asked her to speak. She smiles at me gratefully before saying, "Could you two, for _my_ sake, just please get along? Or attempt to tolerate each other?"

I'm about to deny, politely though, when Four beats me to it.

"No" he responds without a second thought. "Now let's go."

He goes to take a step forward when my voice causes him to falter.

"Don't demand her" I argue, pissed at the tone he had used. He glowers at me over his shoulder but I don't back down from his stare. "Ask her nicely" I insisted.

Grimacing at me for a second longer, he then sighs before turning to her.

"Nita, shall we go?"

Grinning in approval, and because for the _first_ _time ever_ he conceded although I'm pretty sure he just wants to get out of my presence, I turned to see Nita hesitate, almost as if there was more that she wanted to say.

However, Four's waiting expression causes her to hold her tongue. Reluctantly, she then grabs a hold of his hand.

She smiles softly at me in goodbye but it doesn't reach her eyes. And for that, another wave of guilt overcomes me. Steadily, she then follows after her boyfriend. As they did I could faintly hear Four scoff before muttering,

"No wonder _she's_ still single."

It took everything in me not to start another round of arguments.


	4. Chapter 4

FOUR:

The next morning, Nita asked me to pick her up for school. I debated on whether to go or not before deciding that I might as well. The only reason I thought otherwise was because I wanted to avoid _her_ as much as possible. But figuring that since I'm dating Nita and they're _siblings_ , there really isn't much I can do about her presence.

And as I reached their home, I was no longer surprised when Tris answered the door. With an eye roll, that is.

Her hair was up in a tight ponytail, a few loose strands of her blonde hair hanging from the side of her face. I almost smirked as I remembered that as kids, she usually had it in two pigtails. _If only she had remained doing her hair like that. That would've been amusing to see._ Glancing down to the rest of her, I realised that she was wearing a different, much cheaper and uglier uniform than the one Nita and I wear. _Faction High, huh?_ A slight groan then escapes her mouth, interrupting my thoughts.

"Must I see you _every_ day now?" she complains. Scoffing at her, I pushed past her petite figure and entered the kitchen where my girlfriend was grabbing herself a cup of orange juice.

She happily beams at my appearance, forgetting the orange juice instantly, before tightly hugging me in greeting. Lightly pecking at her forehead, she pulls apart and grins.

"I missed you" she whispers, pouting slightly. Kissing her softly, I smirked.

"I saw you yesterday" I remind her. But her bottom lip continues to stick out. Grinning, I lean down to kiss her once more when someone makes a gagging sound, causing us both to look up. As we did, Nita smiles in amusement when she sees her sister walk into the kitchen.

"Still not the romance type, huh?" she mocks, playfully. Tris grins at her in response.

"It's not exactly something that can change overnight" she answers, taking a bite into a piece of toast.

"Beatrice. Why am I not surprised?" I then comment. Her narrowing gaze swiftly flashes towards me.

"Did I ask you to speak?" she then asks me. I huff slightly.

"As if I need your permission."

"Yeah well, the last time I remembered this was an 'A' and 'B' conversation. Your input was never needed, number boy."

I'm about to open my mouth when my girlfriend intervenes. _Again_.

"Alright, that's enough you two" she scolds, rolling her eyes slightly. "I hope you guys aren't going to be arguing our entire way to school."

"WHAT?" both Tris and I ask as her words sink in.

"Nita" Beatrice then begins, "I thought _you_ were giving me a ride to school."

"I am" she answers in reply. "But Four's driving _me_ to school. And if Four's driving _me_ to school, then he's driving _you_ too."

"You've got to be kidding" I let out. But she immediately hisses at me.

"Be nice" she growls.

"No it's alright" the blonde then says. "I'll walk."

"No! We'll drive you there" Nita quickly says before her mouth widens in disbelief. "You two are so childish, I swear" she says, looking at us both.

I hummed as Tris folds her arms in front of her.

"Just... put the past behind you guys" she advises.

"I didn't start it" I tell her while gazing at my childhood rival.

"Why are you looking at me for?" she then snaps at me. "I didn't start it either!"

"Says the girl who slammed the door in my face yesterday" I counter.

"It was the wind, you idiot!" she fires back, quickly.

"Yeah I'm sure it was" I reply sarcastically.

"Stop!" Nita cuts in once more. "Let's just... go, shall we?" she asks us both.

Humming, I began to make my way out, eyeing the blonde girl as I passed by her. In return, she flipped me the bird before grabbing her backpack.

Hopping into the drivers seat, Nita climbing into the passengers side, she then turns to me in silence.

"What?" I ask after a moment.

"Could you just _please_ be nice?" she inquires.

Waving a hand at her, she sighs in dismay at my response. Finally, my rival walks out of the house after checking to make sure the door was locked. She glares at me from the outside before approaching the car.

Just as her hand lands on the door handle, I began to reverse causing her to jump back in caution. I would've broken out into a stream of laughter, if it weren't for the glare my girlfriend was giving me.

"Four!" she yells at me. But I shrugged my shoulders, innocently.

"What?" I asked her. "I thought she had hopped in already." Just as her eyes narrow at me in scrutiny, the door flies open.

"Very funny Four" the voice says. And as I turn to look at her, her lips were turned down in a frown. She then throws her bag inside. Before she could sit down though, I stop her.

She raises a brow at this and I inwardly smirk.

"What are you doing?" I ask her, my outward expression serious and flat. As I spoke, I could feel Nita's eyes piercing the side of my head in warning. I ignored it though.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" she asks.

Although I could feel the need to grin, I resisted. And instead, answered in monotone,

"The boots open."

She furrows her eyebrows at this before the understanding slowly settles in. When it does, she scowls at me with so much hatred that I couldn't help but break the emotionless facade and smirk victoriously.

However, my victory is short lived when Nita's voice speaks up.

"Four!" she growls. I turn to her swiftly. "You are pushing it" she warns me before turning to her sister, apologetically. "I'm so sorry, Tris. Hop in, hun."

But the girl just smiles at her before shaking her head.

"No it's fine" she says while grabbing her backpack. "I'll walk."

"Tris" she tries to plead. But the blonde dismisses her protests.

"Nita, it's honestly fine." She closes the door and begins to walk off when she suddenly stops halfway. Turning around, she walks back and approaches Nita's side of the car. My girlfriend winds down the window expectantly but is surprised when she looks straight towards me, instead.

She gazes at me for a second before grinning, a fire steadily burning behind her eyes. She only says four words before heading off, for _real_ this time.

"Payback's a bitch, Eaton."

And then she was gone.

-IV-

Nita has been avoiding me the entire day. Even worst when the Pedrad's noticed. And because they did, here I am now, cornered in the boy's changing room, being interrogated my both brothers.

It was currently gym class and while all my other classmates were changing into their gym gears, I was currently backed into a corner, avoiding the questions and the curious stares that the Pedrad brothers were penetrating me with.

"Dude!" Uriah shouts out, zoning me back in. "You must've done _something_ for your girlfriend to be avoiding you like the plague."

"Well I didn't" I lie. "She's probably just on her period. Mood swings, you know?"

"It's not even her time of the month!" Zeke argues. I immediately raise a brow at this.

"And how exactly do you know that, Ezekiel?" I inquire.

"Because every time it _is_ her time of the month, you complain about her PMS! You do it so much, that both Uriah and I have memorised her friggin' schedule or whatever the hell its called." Before I could add in, he continues to speak. "And it was her time of the month two weeks ago, Four! That's proof enough that you're lying. And yes! That's how much you complain!"

I couldn't resist the urge to snicker.

"You're exaggerating" I state. But they both scoff in disagreement. Rolling my eyes, I tried to move passed them but they blocked me once again. "Could you guys just let me through? We have to get ready before Coach Amar kills us."

"Ask us if we care" Uriah says. I sigh at this.

They weren't going to give up. No matter what. I could see it in their faces. The brothers weren't usually the stubborn type. There were exceptions, however. For example, their servings of Dauntless Cake. Or when they're trying to get a girls number.

And, _now_.

They were being stubborn, _now_.

"Fine!" I concede. "I pissed her off."

"We know that" Zeke responds, rolling his eyes. "What we want to know, is how."

I paused for a second before sighing again.

"By being mean to her sister."

Both Pedrad's pulled a puzzled expression at this.

"I didn't know Nita had a sister" Uriah says questioningly. Zeke nods as if he was just thinking the same thing.

"Her Mom met someone" I simply told them, which earned me a nod of understanding.

"Oh, I guess that explains it" the younger Pedrad states.

"Good. So can I go now?" I ask them but my best friend shakes his head. I immediately groan.

"One more thing" he says.

"What?"

"Why'd you do that?"

"Do what?" I ask him.

"Be mean to her sister."

"Because."

"'Because' isn't a reason, Four" Zeke states.

"Her name alone, is reason enough, Zeke" I argue back.

"Really?" he inquires. "Then what, may I ask, is her name?"

I begin to mumble my reply when Zeke rolls his eyes again before asking me to speak louder.

"Beatrice Prior!" I almost shout.

However, the minute her name left my mouth, both brothers froze in their place. After an eternity of silence has passed by, they snapped out of it.

"Say what?" Uriah questions.

"You're going to have to repeat that, man" Zeke adds. "Did you just say 'Beatrice Prior'?" I nod in response. "As in, elementary and middle school 'Beatrice Prior'?" I nod once more. "As in, your rival from five years ago, 'Beatrice Prior'?"

"Yes, Zeke!" I answer, tiredly. "Is there anyone else whose name is Beatrice Prior that you know of?"

"She's back?" Uriah then asks in disbelief.

"Unfortunately" I grumble. Zeke snorts, humorously.

"'Unfortunately' because she's the only one who could beat your ass at anything." I glare at him as Uriah begins to laugh in amusement.

"Dude!" he then says, punching my shoulder lightly. "What impact did her appearance have on your ego?" This time, I shot the younger Pedrad a glare but he ignored it and continued to smirk.

"You guys are funny" I deadpan before walking passed them both and loosening my tie. Following after me, huge grins still plastered on their faces, they too began to get ready for gym class.

"You know what?" Zeke then begins. "I'm actually looking forward to this year now."

"Prior's return better have nothing to do with it" I tell him, glaring slightly. His grin just grows wider.

"Dude. It has _everything_ to do with it!" he exclaims. "That chick is the only person who could top you at everything. Who _wouldn't_ be excited to see that all over again?"

"I wouldn't say 'everything', Zeke" I reply defensively. "And you know it."

"Yeah, but you know where I'm going with this. She left Chicago 5 years ago, with the lead in winning most of the competitions."

"By one, Zeke" I argue. "She was leading by one."

"Even if it is by one" he says, "she was still leading, man."

As he said that, I realised that I had no more arguments after that. Why? Because he was right. Just because she was leading by one point, doesn't mean she wasn't leading at all.

And that pissed me off.

Still does.

You'd think that a 5 year gap would dismiss everything but it didn't. It took off right where we had left it. Which means... She _still_ is leading. And by one! Right at this very moment, she leads and I don't even think she knows it. Or she even remembers!

I gulped at the realisation, my fists clenching ever so slightly as it dawns down on me heavily.

As much as I tried to think how stupid it all was, my pride wouldn't have it; wouldn't allow it. It refused to just leave it at that without a fight. The determination was beginning to seep through my skin.

-IV-

I later apologised to Nita, which earned me a spot in her good graces, and promised not to be mean to Tris again... in front of her face.

Of course, those weren't her terms. But that was the promise _I_ had made. It was simply a loophole. No harm done.

As I drove her home after school, I kissed her on the cheek before saying goodbye. However, I waited until she walked into the house before parking my car further down the road and walking back to her place, sneakily.

Quietly, I made my way around the house in search for the right room, my plan still fresh in my mind. After what seemed to be an eternity though, I think of giving up when a blonde-haired figure walks into a room and pulls her curtains across.

 _Bingo!_ my thoughts immediately snapped in alarm.

Quickly finding myself a small pebble, I threw it at her window while also keeping an eye out. As I did, I couldn't help but think about how cliche this all was. However, all thoughts flew out my head when her window opens up.

She squints at me for a second before her expression grows into an angry one.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she yells out. But I quickly put a finger to my lips.

"Keep quiet, will you?" I half whispered, half shouted at her.

"You're at the wrong window you dickhead!" she screams, ignoring what I had just said. "Nita's room is next door! Get the right room next time!"

She's about to close her window when I swiftly stop her.

"Wait!"

"What?" she fiercely questions. Straightening my posture, I spoke up.

"Verse me."

"What?" she asks again, out of curiosity this time.

"Me and you. One-on-one basketball match. Down at the park." She thinks about it for a second before snickering.

"First of all, get a life. Second, basketball is the one thing you can _never_ beat me at Eaton, so give it up."

"That was years ago" I disagree.

"And yet it still stands" she fires back.

"You don't know that" I continue to argue.

"Yes I do" she fights. "How? Because you don't even own a basketball! How are you going to come to _my_ house and challenge _me_ to a match when you don't even own a ball?"

"I practice at school" I tell her. She scoffs.

"Not good enough, number boy" she states. "Come back when you _actually_ know you have a chance at winning."

And with that she slams her window shut.

Infuriated with her response, I grabbed another pebble and swung again. I had _probably_ thrown it a bit too hard because the glass actually breaks unexpectedly and the pebble soars through the window and hits something else from within her room.

Shocked at the outcome, I stood there frozen, just staring at the hole I had made. It isn't long until _she_ comes into sight once again, her face just as surprised as mine. Her mouth was ajar and her eyes, wide.

Abruptly, her head then snaps towards me, her expression unreadable.

But I didn't stay around any longer to see what she was going to do next. If I had any love for my life, which I did, leaving this very instance was the best thing to do.


	5. Chapter 5

Nita and I decided to drive to school separately the next day. At first I thought her decision to do so was because I had broken Prior's window but her voice had sounded calm over the phone and not once did she bring the incident up, so I figured that perhaps she didn't know.

And if she didn't, did that mean Tris didn't tell her? Did Tris actually tell _anyone_ , _at all_? Or did she follow through with how she used to be years ago?

That was the strange thing about her. Whenever I had broken her things as a kid, not once did I ever hear of her telling _anyone_ about it. Not to teachers or even her friends. She kept it hidden and made some sort of excuse that did not involve me or even the mention of my name.

Honestly, it was the only reason I got out away with things without getting into trouble.

I never understood why she did that but because of it I didn't exactly stop. In fact, I took advantage of it, like any other kid would. Still to this day, I don't know why she hid everything. It had always made me curious.

Finally arriving to school, driving all thoughts of the blonde away, I parked my car in my usual spot and fixed my uniform before a by-passing teacher could decide to hand me a detention. Grabbing my bag from out of the vehicle, I turned around and instinctively jumped back when I come face to face with an unexpected yet mad and storming pair of blue/grey eyes.

I sighed in relief when I realised that it was just Tris (though that didn't entirely ignore the fact that my life was still on the line especially when I could feel the daggers piercing its way into my being).

Even when though, I gave her a bored look. Swiftly and harshly, she then thrusts a piece of paper into my hands.

"What's this?" I ask her.

"The bill to the damage you did to my window." Rolling my eyes, I placed the bill inside my car, not thinking to look over it again, and conceded.

"Fine." She shook her head slightly at this.

"You know," she continues in disbelief, "you are _so_ lucky that I don't snitch on you."

I instantly felt the need to ask her as to why she does that, but instead replied with,

"Don't do me any favours."

Clenching her jaw, she walks passed me with a scoff.

Deciding to forget that she was even here, I swung my bag over my shoulder and took a single step towards the building. As I did, the Pedrad brothers suddenly pop up in front of me, causing me to freeze in my tracks.

They smile in greeting before something behind me catches their eye. Both immediately, and weirdly, raised a brow at the same time. I could only guess that they had spotted the blonde-haired visitor.

"Who was _that_?" Zeke asks me. I shrug.

"No one. Let's just go" I hurriedly say but they ignored me. Their puzzled expressions soon change and their mouths fall open in surprise.

"That isn't..." Uriah says, trailing off.

"Don't" I warn them, blocking their paths but they disregarded what I had to say and pushed passed me in eagerness.

"BEATRICE!" I could hear them both call out and as I spun around to watch the exchange, she turns around too and her anger slowly subsides when she notices the pair approaching her.

After a while of just staring at them, she finally whispers, "Pedrad's."

They both grin at the recognition.

"Ah, so you do remember us!" Uriah begins, beaming brightly. "I feel honoured." His words placed a smile on her face.

"Uriah! I see you're still the charmer" she acknowledges warmly, earning a massive grin from the younger Pedrad in reply.

"Hey! How about me?" Zeke then intervenes, pouting slightly at being excluded. Sharply, her gaze flutters towards him and her once smiling face, drops.

"Zeke" she says, less enthusiastic now. "I see you're still-" She pauses for a second too long, the anticipation within my best friend increasing with every passing second. And then she drops the bomb on him, "-Four's little bitch."

Uriah immediately bursts out with laughter while his older brother continues to pout.

"Oh c'mon!" he then exclaims. "What did I do to deserve such a greeting?" She rolls her eyes.

"If I remember clearly, _you_ never did anything but laugh at me when Four was being an idiot. Besides, that was _all_ you ever did; follow him around like a lost puppy. It, strangely, annoyed the hell out of me."

"Okay first of all" Zeke begins in a matter-of-fact manner, "I merely followed him around because I was his _only_ friend." I scoff at this. _So not true._ "And second, I was always laughing _at_ him, not _with_ him." I growl defensively but he took no notice of me.

How in the world did it get to this stage? This stage where, my supposedly best friends were siding with my rival rather than me. So much for brotherhood.

"I can _honestly_ tell you" Zeke then goes on, "that I was rooting for you from the sidelines."

"Sure you were" she quickly replies. The older Pedrad lets out a groan upon recognising the sarcasm.

"How in the world do you not believe me? And why aren't you being mean to Uriah? He followed Four around too!"

"Myabe..." she calmly replies with a shrug, "but then again, not exactly." My curiosity is instantly piqued as the words left her mouth. Joining the trio, I slowly spoke up.

"Not exactly?" I question. They both nod at once.

"What the hell does that mean?" Zeke adds, a quizzical look on his face. However, instead of giving us a forward reply, they grinned at each other, Uriah winking at her slightly.

Both confused by this, we think of questioning them further when someone calls out my name.

I inwardly groaned.

That voice. That _high-pitched_ voice could be recognised anywhere. It belongs to, none other than, my girlfriend.

She beams at me happily as I turn to look at her over my shoulder, but it falls right away, when she recognises that her sister was with us also.

"Tris?" she asks once she had joined us.

"Hey" the blonde greets.

"What are _you_ doing here?"

Automatically, I drew in a sharp breath as I anticipated her reply. For a split second, her stormy eyes met mine before they looked away, swiftly.

"I came because you forgot your lunch."

The words had left her mouth so smoothly that I almost believed it to be true.

Nita, however, jerks back at this.

"My lunch?" she inquires. Nodding, she smiles at her.

"Yeah! I packed it for you." And then to prove her point, she walks towards the vehicle she had come in and grabs out a brown paper lunch bag. Handing it over to her sister, I watched her intently.

And instantly, my brows furrowed when I noticed that _her_ name was on the bag, in tiny writing, instead of Nita's. My mind clicked immediately and I couldn't help but feel... surprised.

The measure that she was going to _just_ for a cover up story aroused my curiosity once more.

 _Why didn't she tell anyone? Or her sister, at least?_

Believing that she was here only for the purpose of bringing her lunch, my girlfriend then smiles.

"Wow. Thanks" she begins. "I guess this is one of the perks of having a sibling, huh?" she jokes, in which Tris shot her a tight-lipped grin. As she then glanced around, she tilts her head slightly. "Hey, do you guys all know each other?" she asks, pointing at us all.

Gazing at one another for a second, we all replied, "Yeah", either with a nod or a shrug.

"Wow. That's so cool!" she then comments. "I never knew the Pedrad's knew my sister also."

"Oh trust me" Zeke begins, his smile wicked. "I bet about... _half_ of this school knows who Beatrice Prior is."

Both my blonde rival and I scowled at him, but for different purposes obviously.

"That's enough Zeke" I warn. He disregards my words and snickers.

"What?!" he inquires. "I was just saying that Bea-"

"I second that" Prior adds, glaring at his head. Fearing her slightly, he obeyed. His obedience instantly stirred up a _bit_ of an irritation from within me. _Again_. He had listened to _her_ yet _I_ was his best friend.

It was beyond ridiculous.

"Well, thanks again" my girlfriend pipes up. "But I think we better get to class. You should too. You don't want to be late."

"Yeah, I was just going to say that" Prior quickly replies. "I guess I'll see you at home then."

Waving in goodbye to everyone _but_ me, she heads off and towards her car before driving out of the school's gates.

I remained watching her for a second, before pulling away when someone tugs at my hand. Nita's face comes into view the minute I turned around. Grinning at me, she then urges me to follow after her.

I did, but although my body followed, my thoughts were still on Prior.

 **A/N:**

 **I apologise if this chapter is crap and honestly, I don't like it either so I'm with you guys on that lol I just wanted to get something up before the weekend but... I swear, I'll try do better next time.**

 **Thanks for reading though!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry for being away for so long! So much has been going on but when I came across this story again, I suddenly felt inspired to continue writing so here it is! By the way, I wanted to get a chapter up ASAP which is why, if you see so many errors, I apologise in advance.**

 **Anyway, thanks everyone. And enjoy.**

* * *

TRIS:

The day had gone terribly.

School had been slow as ever, it was pouring rain outside, grey clouds hovered over the town and I was stuck, sitting in my Dad's old car _which_ I couldn't start because it was fricking empty. Not a drop of gas was in its tank.

As of currently, the weather was matching my mood perfectly.

This morning, I had had every intention of filling up the tank. I really did! But then upon giving Four the bill for my broken window, seeing the Pedrad's again and chatting a little with Nita, I ended up being late for school. And instead of stopping at a petrol station, I rushed straight there.

I groaned as leaned my head against the steering wheel. _Worst mistake ever!_ In my hand, I held my phone but I knew it was useless.

I only had four contacts.

I guess, those were the perks of having no friends.

But I gave it a go, anyway. I had nothing to lose.

After failing to reach Nita's cell, I called my Dad. My head snapped up in hope when he picked up.

"Tris?" he answered. I grinned from ear to ear.

"Dad! Thank goodness, you picked up!" I responded.

I could almost see him frown at this, his brows furrowed in worry. "Is something wrong?" he then asked, the concern evident.

I shook my head, as if he could see it. "Nothing like that. It's just... I'm out of gas."

For a second, the other end is silent. And then slowly, a deep chuckle sounded through the phone. "Tris, baby. How do you forget to fill up?" he asked in amusement.

I glared at my cell. "I was in a rush this morning, Dad and it just... slipped my mind" I replied. But even when, I could still feel his grin through the phone. "Do you think you could come pick me up?" I then questioned. But my hope diminished when he replied with,

"I'm sorry, baby. Not right now. I have a meeting in 10." Another groan escaped my mouth. However when he heard this, he instantly started coming up with solutions. "Did you try calling Nita?"

I nodded. "Yes. But she didn't pick up."

"How about Jeanine?" he tried again.

"I didn't want to disturb her" I responded with a sigh. I also wasn't too keen on the idea of having her come get me but I didn't tell him that.

"Well, how about a friend?" he suggested.

I almost laughed. "Dad, I only have you guys in my contacts list, plus one other person."

"Well, who's the other person?" he asked readily. My spirit deflated as I answered, "Nita's boyfriend."

In fact, it was a surprise that I hadn't already deleted his number.

Of course, it was Nita's idea to store his number in my phone, in case of emergencies. But here I was, in an emergency, and I refused to even look at his name.

"Why not give him a try?" my father then asked. I gagged at the idea.

"No" I declined immediately. "Absolutely not." I heard my father sigh.

"Tris, unless you want to wait at school for 3 more hours until I can pick you up," he then started, "I suggest you try give the guy a call. He can't be _that_ bad."

 _Oh, you have no idea,_ I thought _._

"Anyway, I need to go. I love you. But text me in the next hour whether you've gone home or if you're still at school, okay?"

I held back a groan. "Okay. I love you Dad."

"Bye." And then ending the call, I screamed into my hands.

This had been the worst day yet.

For a moment, I straightened in my chair and hummed in thought before finally deciding that I could wait here for 3 hours.

And at first, it was okay. I had my phone, I had Instagram and I had YouTube; everything I needed to keep myself entertained.

But after an hour, my phone suddenly beeped, signalling that my battery's life was at 20%.

I almost wailed. My phone wasn't going to last for much longer and so I decided to do something. _Anything_. Exhaling a very long breath, I opened up my nearly empty contacts list.

I stared at Four's name for what felt like an eternity before putting on my big girl shoes and calling his number.

I prayed he wouldn't answer. But when he picked up, I felt my face droop into a grimace.

"Hello?" he answered with uncertainty. I sighed.

"Yeah... hi" I greeted awkwardly. Silence followed soon afterwards and then finally it clicked in his small mind, just who exactly I was.

"Tris?!" he exclaimed. Disbelief could be heard seeping out of his mouth.

"Yeah" I confirmed grudgingly. "Is Nita with you?"

He scoffed. "No. And how do you have my number?"

"How else would I have it?" I snapped at him.

It was incredulous. I could hear his implication that I would willingly have or even ask around for his stupid number. _Obviously_ , I thought he knew me better.

An image of him rolling his eyes then abruptly flashed in my mind. "Whatever" he replied, tiredly. "Is that all you called for?"

I gulped at the question.

 _Was I going to ask him? Was I that desperate?_ _Could I stay 2 more hours at this school without the entertainment of my phone?_

I quietly sighed, knowing the answer to all those questions.

"Are you busy?" I steadily relented.

"Why?"

His tone dripped with wariness.

"I need a ride home" I whispered into the phone.

Like my Dad, he suddenly chuckled. "You can't be serious" he stated in disbelief.

But with a restraint on my anger, I replied as impassively as I could, "I am _dead_ serious, Four."

He chuckled some more before replying, "No."

"No, what?" I asked, slightly frustrated.

"No, I can't pick you up" he responded.

My jaw clenched. "Can't or _won't_?" I questioned, feistily. But when he didn't respond, my brows furrowed in confusion. "Four?"

And then the line went flat.

I glanced at my phone, just to see that the call had ended.

"Asshole" I growled in irritation.

Letting out an agitated breath, I turned and stared as the rain kept tapping on my window. And then out of nowhere, a surge of determination bursted through my veins.

Grabbing my backpack, I stuffed my phone inside before pulling my hoodie over my head. Jumping out of the car, I quickly locked it and stuffed the keys into my pocket.

Glancing around as the rain quickly soaked my clothes, I then began to run.

I ran out of the school gates before jogging in the direction of my home. It took about 5 minutes before I grew tired and started walking, the rain never once withholding.

My clothes were absolutely wet, socks including. Every step I made felt disgusting.

Suddenly, my phone rings. In eagerness, I opened my bag up to find that Nita was calling me.

Hopeful, I made a move to press the green button when my screen suddenly went black.

I stared at my cell phone for a while longer, praying for a miracle before mentally cussing when nothing happened. The need to throw my phone on the ground was overwhelming.

Cursing my luck, I stuffed it back into my bag before breaking off into another run.

Just as I was about to cross the street, a car abruptly pulled up beside me, halting my body to a stop.

I opened my mouth to curse at the driver when the passengers window rolled down.

I glared at him as he stared at me with a raised brow.

"You look pathetic" he brutally stated.

I silently seethed. "Great" I shouted over the rain, forcing a small smile. "I achieved my goal in looking like you."

He rolled his eyes slightly. "Are you getting in or what?"

I shook my head, the forced smile widening. "I don't think so."

As I continued walking, his car slowly followed beside me. "Tris" he shouted as the rain poured down a lot more heavily now. "I did not waste petrol in coming to get you, just to have you turn me down."

I didn't respond. My stubbornness wouldn't allow it.

"Tris!" he tried again. I refused to spare him a glance. Angry now, his tyres screeched as he stopped the car entirely. "Tris!"

Annoyed, I finally faced him. "What?!"

"Get in the car" he demanded, his face contorted with irritation.

With a clenched jaw, I thought about it for a second before shaking my head in disbelief. Pulling off my bag, I opened the door to his backseat and hopped in.

As soon as I shut the door, I heard him sigh exhaustedly. He glanced over his shoulder to observe me before stating, "You're getting my car wet."

I narrowed my gaze at him. "You _told_ me to get in, knowing very well that I was wet so stop whining."

"That's a nice way of saying ' _thanks_ '" he sarcastically replied while driving away.

I remained quiet. And thankfully, he didn't say anything in return.

However, the car ride soon became awkwardly quiet. I could see him sneaking small glances in my direction through the rear view mirror but I acted as if I didn't see them. Instead, I stared out of the car and watched as droplets of rain raced down the window.

As I did though, the car suddenly halted. My body flew forward and my face squashed into the headrest of the chair in front of me.

I let out an "Ow" as I rubbed at my nose. Four's amused chuckles quickly had me glaring at him. "You did that on purpose, you jerk" I instantly shouted at him.

But his smirk refused to waver.

"That wouldn't have happened if you were wearing your seatbelt" he stated, cheekily.

Still glaring at him, I finally put on my belt, all the while muttering "Bastard" under my breath.

Again, we steadily faded into silence. However, this time Four started a conversation.

"So that basketball match?" he asked slowly, knowing that I would understand what he was talking about.

I immediately shook my head. "Not happening."

He snorted. "What? Afraid?" he taunted.

I scoffed at him, mockingly. "Of you?" I asked. "Please."

"I don't like losing" he then stated, referring to the outdated scoreboard. A sigh escaped my mouth in reply.

"Well that's your fault for not staying in the lead."

"How was I supposed to know you were going to move the next year?" he questioned in annoyance. An exaggerated sigh automatically passed my lips.

"Give it up, Four" I then told him. "That rivalry is dead."

His eyes narrowed slightly in disapproval but he didn't say anything more. Instead, he pulled into the drive through of McDonalds.

"I'm hungry" he stated to no one in particular. And I didn't have any qualms about it. After all, it _was_ his car.

However, after he placed his order, he then looked at me. "What do you want, Tris?" he asked, his tone emotionless.

Upon sensing the slight change coming from him, I stared at him weird. But I didn't say a thing concerning it. Instead, I answered "Nothing" while redirecting my gaze.

He, however, merely scoffed at this before speaking into the intercom. "Could I also get a Big Mac, no pickles, large fries and a chocolate shake?" When the voice on the other end asked if there was anything else he wanted, he added, "Yeah, while you're at it, could you also throw in a kids toy because this girl's acting like a little child."

I instantly glared at him. "How thoughtful of you" I spat out.

He ignored my comment and drove through to the pickup window.

However, I too didn't dwell on the slight jab he had made at me because I was surprised that he had remembered my usual go-to meal, from years ago.

Sure, it wasn't a complicated order. But the fact that he had _remembered_ was still surprising.

As he handed me a McDonald's bag, I mumbled a ' _thanks_ ' before placing it aside, not once touching it.

I went back to looking out the window but I was shocked when he spoke up again. This time, displaying some sort of emotion.

"You've lost a bit of fire."

The statement had been delivered quietly yet it echoed. Loud and deafening, speaking various volumes.

I gazed at his rearview mirror, knowing that I would have immediate access to his drowning blue eyes.

But it didn't last.

I looked away first.

"Don't act like you know me" I lightly growled at him.

He snorted. "Don't I?" I gulped in response. "You know? Have you ever thought that I could _possibly_ be one of _the_ closest people to you?" he asked. His words dripped with genuineness.

But I ignored it and shook my head. There was no way that that was possible. I refused to believe it.

"Cause I do" he then admits. He doesn't meet my stare when he says this.

The atmosphere, I hadn't recognised, had already shifted into a sombre state, by then.

I tried to respond to him but words failed to exit my mouth.

He continued nonetheless. "Rivalry is a form of relationship, Tris. You haven't thought of it that way, have you?"

 _No, I haven't_ , I mentally replied. For some reason, I couldn't voice this.

I stared wide-eyed at nothing in particular for a while, before slightly nodding.

This rivalry thing had never actually occurred to me in that sense.

As I thought back to every friend I've ever had or even to my family, I gaped when I realised that Four, despite the mutual hatred, was indeed one of the closest people to me.

He knew exactly how to get on my nerves. He knew where my strengths and weaknesses laid.

He knew things that my past friends didn't.

I was stricken with horror as I came to this realisation.

However, as my mind tried to process this, I hadn't realised we had arrived at my house until he coughed.

Meeting his gaze, I quietly offered a quick ' _thanks_ ', ignoring the tense atmosphere entirely, before hopping out with all my things.

The minute both feet landed on the ground, he instantly sped off.

After a moment of staring at his car, I suddenly realised what I was doing and shook my head, in order to clear my mind.

As rain continued to pour down heavily, I hastily ran inside the house.

Embracing the warmth of the indoors, I'm about to climb the stairs when I noticed Nita's presence in the kitchen.

As I entered, her jaw instantly fell when she saw the state I was in.

"Oh my gosh, did you run here?!" she asked worriedly as she came up to me. "Is that why you called?" she rambled. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry Tris, I had no idea" she apologised profusely. But I brushed it away.

"Don't worry about it. Your boyfriend gave me a ride."

An astounded expression automatically graced her face.

"Did he now?" she questioned incredulously. I nodded.

"Yup and he also got you this" I said, handing over the meal he had bought.

Immediately, she gushed over the nice gesture before opening up the bag. Just as I'm about to exit though, she abruptly called out to me.

"Why is there a toy in here?" she asked aloud as she showed me the 'Trolls' figurine.

I shrugged at her but then without thinking, I extended a hand. "I'll take it."

Not asking why, she threw it. Catching it in my hands, I gripped onto it tightly and headed upstairs to my room.

The first thing I did when I got there was place my phone onto its charger and waited for it to start.

As soon as it did, a notification of 5 missed calls from my Dad popped up onto the screen. I'm just about to call him back when my phone suddenly rings.

I placed him on speaker. "Hey Dad."

"Hey, baby. Are you still at school?" he asked, getting right to the point.

"Nope" I answered. "I managed to get a ride."

"From who?"

I sighed. "From Nita's boyfriend."

I could feel him smirk. "What did I tell you, huh? Aren't you glad you listened to me?" he asked, teasingly.

I opened my mouth to reply when the basketball underneath my desk catches my eye and momentarily renders me speechless.

Grabbing it, I played with it in my hands before thinking of Four and all that stuff he spouted earlier about rivalry being a relationship or whatever.

As I deeply thought into it, I almost missed my Dad's voice calling for me.

"Tris?"

I quickly zoned back. "Huh?" I answered.

"Are you alright?"

I didn't reply. Instead, I slowly smiled at the ball before placing it on my bed.

"Yeah" I then finally responded. "But I'm gonna go now, okay Dad? I'll see you at home."

The last thing I heard him say, before I ended the call, was "okay".

And then walking out of my room, I headed for the bathroom with that odd smile still present.

I couldn't, for the life of me, understand why I was buying into Four's guilt trip tactic.

But I was.

And in a strange sense, that was something worth smiling for. Even when I couldn't pinpoint what _exactly_ it was that was so exciting.


End file.
